Dictator

Theatrical Release Date: 2012 05 16 (USA)

UPC: 097361472744

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Humor, Profanity]

Summary: Comic Sacha Baron Cohen re-teams with director Larry Charles (Borat, Bruno) for this satirical tale of an oppressive, democracy-hating dictator and a goatherder (both played by Cohen) whose misadventures in America lead to a series of outrageous culture clashes. Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, and Curb Your Enthusiasm's J.B. Smoove co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Features: cc
Deleted and extended scenes

Dictator

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 08/21/2012

Audio: DHMA null, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 181 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English,French,Spanish,Portuguese

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish,Portuguese

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Dictator
1. Chapter 1 [:47]
2. Chapter 2 [:03]
3. Chapter 3 [:15]
4. Chapter 4 [:53]
5. Chapter 5 [:02]
6. Chapter 6 [1:19]
7. Chapter 7 [1:13]
8. Chapter 8 [:31]
9. Chapter 9 [1:07]
10. Chapter 10 [:02]
11. Chapter 11 [:02]
12. Chapter 12 [:37]
13. Chapter 13 [:46]
14. Chapter 14 [7:58]

Jason Buchanan

One of the great social satirists of modern cinema, Sacha Baron Cohen became a cultural phenomenon with the release of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan in 2006. At the time, Cohen had yet to achieve mainstream success, so the element of surprise was still on his side as he assumed the role of a blissfully ignorant, casually racist Kazakh TV host visiting America in the largely improvised comedy; as the targets of his jokes struggled to maintain composure, half the fun was watching them squirm while Cohen explored just how far he could take his routine. Three years later, when Cohen failed to re-create that success with Bruno, it was difficult to discern which direction his career would take next. Now that he could be recognized, would his humor still hit the mark? The answer to that question, if you can catch your breath between the rapid-fire succession of gags in The Dictator, is yes -- though only comedy fans with thick skin need apply. A natural-born despot, General Aladeen (Cohen) takes great pride in his role as an oppressor. As the unchallenged leader of Wadiya, his talent for trash-talking Western values and ignoring international treaties has made him the most hated autocrat since Saddam Hussein. But when General Aladeen travels to New York City to address international concerns regarding the state of his nation's controversial nuclear program, his trusted right-hand man Tamir (Ben Kingsley) schemes to have the tyrant killed and replaced with a double in order to forge a lucrative alliance with big oil companies. Incredibly, General Aladeen manages to thwart his assassin and make a daring escape -- but not before losing his trademark beard. Now adrift in New York City and completely unrecognizable, the most hated leader in the world befriends Zoey (Anna Faris), a feminist/activist and the owner of a Brooklyn organic-food store, and assumes the identity of a Wadiyan dissident while plotting with his former top scientist Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas) to sabotage his double's speech and reclaim his rightful status as the true enemy of freedom. In the past few years, memorable supporting roles in films like Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Martin Scorsese's Hugo have proven that Cohen is much more than a one-trick pony. Yet despite his obvious talent as an actor, it was understandable that some fans would be wary of Cohen returning to the world of scripted comedy; his first such film, Ali G Indahouse (2002), was an uneven misfire that failed to translate the magic of Da Ali G Show to the big screen. Fortunately, it seems that Cohen has taken care to learn from his past mistakes, and with veteran comedy producer/director Larry Charles at the helm, The Dictator delivers Looney Tunes-style satire punctuated by Cohen's unique brand of take-no-prisoners irreverence. But just when you start to think Cohen has opted for a broader approach this time around (outrageous sight gags and Wadiyan versions of popular songs like R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" fill the gaps between elaborate comedy set pieces), the final speech reveals that the entire movie has been a setup for a big sucker punch that paints Cohen as the satirical equivalent of M. Night Shyamalan. Meanwhile, a succession of playful cameos is sure to keep sharp-eyed comedy fans on their toes. No one in The Dictator is safe from Cohen's ruthless brand of satire, and if 9/11 jokes or torture being played for laughs offend your sensibilities, this isn't the comedy for you. For everyone else, The Dictator offers sidesplitting proof that, improvised or not, Cohen's gift for cultural caricature is still intact. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Scott Rudin  Producer 
Larry Charles  Director 
Alec Berg  Producer 
Alec Berg  Screenwriter 
Jeff Schaffer  Producer 
Jeff Schaffer  Screenwriter 
David Mandel  Producer 
David Mandel  Screenwriter 
Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda  Executive Producer 
Sacha Baron Cohen  Producer 
Sacha Baron Cohen  Screenwriter 
Adam McKay  Executive Producer 
Dan Mazer  Executive Producer 
Peter Baynham  Executive Producer 
Anthony Hines  Producer 
Erran Baron Cohen  Composer (Music Score) 
Sacha Baron Cohen  Actor 
Anna Faris  Actor 
Ben Kingsley  Actor 
Sayed Badreya  Actor 
Jason Mantzoukas  Actor 
Michele Berg  Actor 
Liam Campora  Actor 
Aasif Mandvi  Actor 
Rizwan Manji  Actor 
Rick Chambers  Actor 
Adeel Akhtar  Actor 
Horatio Sanz  Actor 
Rocky Citron  Actor 
Justo Usin  Actor 
Joey Slotnick  Actor 
Ian Roberts  Actor 
Chris Parnell  Actor 
Jessica St. Clair  Actor 
David Fonteno  Actor 
Anna Katarina  Actor 
Michael G. Delaney  Actor 
William Fowle  Actor 
Bobby Lee  Actor 
Olek Krupa  Actor 
Alan Cox  Actor 
Kevin Corrigan  Actor 
Mitchell Green  Actor 
Jenny L. Saldaña  Actor 
George Bartenieff  Actor 
Chris Gethard  Actor 
Fred Armisen  Actor 
Elena Goode  Actor 
Dawn Zimniak  Actor 
Danielle Burgio  Actor 
Dominique DiCaprio  Actor 
Victoria Beltran  Actor 
Aja Frary  Actor 
Naz Homa  Actor 
Elsayed Mohamed  Actor 
Fred Melamed  Actor 
Sean T. Krishnan  Actor 
Eliyas Qureshi  Actor 
Chris Elliott  Actor 
Jon Glaser  Actor 
Daniel Burress  Actor 
Pete Wiggins  Actor 
Adam Le Fevre  Actor 
Marceline Hugot  Actor 
Anthony Mangano  Actor 
Melissa Francis  Actor 
Tim J. Ellis  Actor 
Michael Hardart  Actor 
Miriam Tolan  Actor 
Zachary Mackiewicz  Actor 
J.B. Smoove  Actor 
Hollis Granville  Actor 
Ann Dev'Unay  Actor 
Sondra James  Actor 
Tara Copeland  Actor 
Sydney Berry  Actor 
Kathryn Hahn  Actor 
Seth Morris  Actor 
Kate Pak  Actor 
Regina Anne Rizzo  Actor 
Tracey Ruggiero  Actor 
Karl Jacob  Actor 
Marcia Debonais  Actor 
Nasim Pedrad  Actor 
Mousa Kraish  Actor 
Neimah Djourabchi  Actor 
Sevan Greene  Actor 
Nadav Malmud  Actor 
Fred North  Actor 
Fred Hanna  Actor 
William Richards  Actor 
Marc Wolff  Actor 
Cordell King  Actor 

Country: USA